with lessons for both parties. tuesday november 5th and this is "now." election day 2013 as voters head to the polls in cities and states across the country from the deep south to the northeast and middle west, there could be very real implications for the future of the republican party and foundations of the democratic platform. in the blue state of new jersey, republican governor chris christie is expected to win re-election by a landslide against democratic state senator and likely with the support of women and african-americans. but if christie today finds himself in the conductor seat of the republican party, a rowdy tea party is still in the caboose. in virginia gubernatorial race between democrat terry mcauliffe and republican ken cuccinelli is shaping up to be a democratic victory. mainly because cuccinelli's brand of ultraconservative politics has not sold.

quinnipiac poll showed mcauliffe ahead of cuccinelli by six points. if they show up, the next governor could be a democrat. if he wins, the long ethank you letter will be to the women of the old dominion. cuccinelli faces a gap so enormous it is better described as a yawning chasm. women choosing the democratic candidate by a margin of 50 to 36. as it turns out ladies aren't all that into anti-abortion, anti-sod my. thinking people. joining me michael steele. nbc political analyst and former governor ed rendell. managing editor of the grio.com joy reid and deputy of new york city howard wilson. my fellows and friends, thank

you for joining me on this election day, which i'm determined to make a big deal in this hour we have. michael steele, i'll go to you first. talk about the implications of the republican party. i want to start with virginia. my question to you is will the gop take notice if ken cuccinelli is defeated. >> they will take notice of it. in a sense we're making more of these two elections in terms of where the gop is going to be and nation is going to be in two or three years. what's happening on the ground is affected by different things, not just cuccinelli's record with women, the impact of governor mcdonnell on the race was significant. the impact of what republicans did nationally to shut down the government was significant. so women 50 to 36 for his opponent are not necessarily there because of hot button agenda items. it's a complete package of issues. >> a complete package of

disast disaster. >>. >> not just social engine driving this train. there's a big economic engine as well as we saw with the government shutdown. i think people need to put some of this in context and not start extrapolating, particularly new jersey, talk about that later, in terms of what this really means and the symbolism and message going forward. >> numbers wise, that margin, 24 points in some polls. women voters choosing terry mcauliffe. the language has had its effect. >> if you just want to talk about the broader issues, if you could take far right conservatism and put it in a petri dish, you would get governor's race in virginia. every issue in one race, government shutdown, women, evangelical issues. it's the far right has their ideal ticket. this is what the base of the

republican party says should be winning across the country in every way. tea partyism, shutdown, women's issues, banning contraception. it's there and it's going to lose. >> the party i think needs to take recognition of more than anything else is how these things are changing. virginia was a reliably red state for a long time. it has now transitioned to purple and maybe on its way to blue, we'll see. but the party has not kept up where the voters are moving. that's also the big problem in states like virginia as we saw in north carolina as well and other southern states. that trend line is something they really need to pay attention to. >> i want to bring in our elections expert, if you will, who is housed in cambridge, massachusetts right now. sasha eisenberg, author of "the secret science of winning campaigns" which thankfully is out in paper back. it's great to see you, my friend. i think the last time we talked was in the wake of the 2012

election. i woernd given the work you did and reporting you did in that election cycle whether you think any lessons have been learned on the right side of the aisle in terms of voter outrage? can we see any lessons in virginia? >> i've been really surprised. there's been a lot of lip service on the right starting with rnc postmortem report that came out this year, talking about the need to make better investments and the ground game, the use of data and analytics. i don't in talking to republicans at the national or local level see a lot of people who have developed the expertise to do that. this is difficult, sophisticated stuff. your normal sort of political operative staffer types don't have the skill set to do it. in the wake of the democrat's loss in 2004, they invest in a lot of new institutions to house data, do analysis, do testing at

great costs that existed on the left. nobody on the right has taken that type of leap yet. >> in terms of the campaign itself, governor, the surrogate issue in virginia was -- has been an interesting one. terry mcauliffe has had the assistance of bill and hillary clinton. he the vice president and president stumping for him. cuccinelli has had marco rubio, ron paul, rick santorum and the duggers. you talk about a dearth of leadership and effective emissa emissaries, this would ab case study. "politico" striking contrast in surrogates in the homestretch of virginia governor's race another reminder gop's larger leadership vacuum and civil war for the soul of the party reeling from last year's thrashing. simply put, lacks a unifying figure that appeals to every part let alone matches the

clinton-obama. >> they can do all the marketing they want, all the outreach they want. if they don't change their basic substantive position on women's issue. if they don't change the language, language we've seen recently about african-americans, if they don't stop showing up with a confederate flag, they can have 10,000 outreach people in the african-american community, women's community, it won't make a difference. people aren't dumb. they know who their friends are and who they aren't. that's number one. in terms of surrogates, i would contend gop has surrogates who do appeal to 90% of the electorate but weren't in virginia. where was jeb bush. did jeb bush go to virginia? >> no. >> jeb bush has broad appeal. he has broad appeal in pennsylvania. that doesn't mean he would carry if he were the presidential candidate but he has broad appeal. those republicans didn't show up. chris christie didn't leave the state to campaign for ken

cuccinelli. >> no. and would he have? >> you've got a group of republican governors who are social conservatives but they don't emphasize. cuccinelli made that the heart and soul of his campaign. when scott walker and rick snyder and john kasich runs for re-election, they are not going to be talking about social issues. >> howard, i want to talk to you about the mac. if things go that way, terry mcauliffe is going to be governor of virginia. i just said that. a seasoned democratic operative and campaign genius, what do you think the implications are for that in 2016 and also what kind of job is terry mcauliffe going to do as governor of virginia? >> i think he's going to do a very good job. i've known terry for a long time through the clintons. has he an enormous amount of energy, a good salesperson for that state. he's somebody that can work with

republicans and democrats. one thing they are looking for is somebody that can go across party lines and work with somebody to get something done. the current governor in virginia had that reputation. he lost some of his luster because of the scandals. cuccinelli was so far to the right on transportation issues, other issues where democrats and republicans came together that mcauliffe seemed like the bipartisan moderate. here is a guy former head of the democratic national committee running as the bipartisan moderate and was in comparison to ken cuccinelli. chris christie for all his bluster and talk has a deserved reputation as somebody who can reach across party lines and get things done with republicans and democrats. people are looking as washington shuts down and doesn't work, they are looking for people who can get things done, reach across party lines and do that. >> live in virginia, nbc capitol hill correspondent luke russert.

are you there? there you are. always great to see you, my friend, especially when you're where all the action is. i guess my first question is what's the mood on the ground over there? this is a -- favors terry mcauliffe by six points. if turnout isn't as they hope it would be, it could go ken cuccinelli's direction. what are you seeing? >> that's the name of the game, alex. it's all about turnout. i'm at lovely langley high school, mclane, virginia, a little different than wilson high school where you attended. >> continue on. >> interestingly enough you are right. this is a turnout election for terry mcauliffe. he needs high turnout in areas richmond, norfolk, kind of that hamptons road area. the government shutdown is very much in the back of people's mind especially around welsch d.c.

that card is one mcauliffe has been playing a lot. in terms of turnout we're around the 20% mark. the latest numbers in this precinct over 1200 people voted at 6:00 a.m. that's on par with what a normal virginia governor's race election is and mcauliffe people wanted to get that up higher. where we stand right now, obviously the polling was going in mcauliffe's direction. so far the turnout would seem to suggest cuccinelli has a chance as we get forward into the day. in terms of talking to voters, most i talked to are not surprised, on the mcauliffe side. most reiterated this point on more than one occasion. i was a republican. i supported george w. bush. the party went away from me. it's been interesting to hear this from the voters. if you look around the area, these are high wealth areas. they want tax cuts for the most part but they have been put off from the direction the party is going from the conversations i had here.

fascinating to see what the turnout operation does around the house. right now slow and steady in northern virginia. i'm sure mcauliffe would like that picked up a little bit. >> sasha, in terms of turnouts, traditionally we think of republicans as having much better operation in terms of turning out voters in off year elections. do you think that democrats are learning the lesson of how to get voters to the polls when the states are not seen nationally as that high but ultimately are quite high for a party -- for a political landscape that sees most action happening at the state level? >> yeah. arguably the biggest shift that's taken place innovation in the world of campaigning has come in terms of mobilizing voters, turns them out, not just persuading them. campaigns especially on the left have gotten smarter about understanding behavioral psychology of motivating voters. what's come away, obvious we have conversations and talk

about will democrats be motivated to turn out, enthusiastic about their candidates. all of that has some idea voters are self-driven. we now have a lot of science, hundreds if not thousands of randomized field experiments that showed there are things campaigns can do to make nonvoters vote. they are often very simple sort of behavioral psychology interventions that have nothing to do with the candidates or issues. democrats have mastered those. >> can you give us an example? what's an example of that? >> democratic party of virginia has put stickers on voters doors in the run-up, we see from public records you voted in the 2012 election. another election is coming up. we know from the psychological literature that letting people know that what they thought might have been a private act whether or not they vote is actually a matter of public

record. sko psychologists call it social pressure. it's remarkably effective getting people to vote. if you have good data and strong analytics telling you who supporters are in the electorate but not necessarily habitual voters and a lot of volunteers who can put stickers on doors, you have a recipe for driving turnout even if you have terry mcauliffe who you would not think is an inspiring figure for his base. >> wearing an "i voted" sticker. governor, you wanted to say something there. >> i think sasha is right campaigns especially on the democratic side have become more sophisticated and that public pressure about did you vote yet works to a degree. but don't think for a moment that there isn't self-driven voters. the enthusiasm gap still matters. if you look at 2008 when democratic enthusiasm for president obama was at its highest level, unbelievable the

turnout. in 2010, the enthusiasm level among democratic voters was way down. way down. all the good techniques in the world couldn't produce a good turnout. the interesting thing is in pennsylvania, we came fairly close even in electing sustek over toomer. president obama said this is about me. enthusiasm can't replace analytics. you have to have both. >> there's also the function of midterm voting and minority and younger voters being habitually not voters. not even just enthusiasm, it's the habit of it. you have a lot of people who see it as presidential only. democrats have been working on this. it was a long project. it was disastrous in 2010 across the board diminution of vote. obama voters didn't see obama at the top of the ticket.

second of all, not voting in midterms. that's the biggest thing democrats have to solve going forward because it was a census year. >> problem in 2010 getting my vote turned out. i don't know what you're talking about. at the end of the day my vote showed up. >> i like how michael steele is like i won, y'all didn't. luke, before we let you go, standing as you are in the place you're most comfortable, a high school cafeteria -- i'm sorry. i love you. >> alex, alex, i ate at a refectory, not cafeteria. >> terry mcauliffe, the rest of the races in virginia -- the rest of the seats in virginia, attorney general seat and i believe lieutenant governor seats could also go democrat. e.w. jackson, who is the republican nominee for

lieutenant governor -- a tale of euphemisms today. he's a wild man. it sounds like if mcauliffe takes the governor's seat e.w. jackson will not be elected lieutenant governor, which i think is a sigh of relief for many americans who have been listening to e.w. jackson over the course of the last six weeks. are you hearing anything about those races? >> jackson, the guy you mentioned had the famous writing that yoga could be satanic. i will tell you tree pose is the devil but i don't know if yoga itself is satanic, alex. it's something democrats are excited about in virginia, the fact they could sweep all three races and turn the state from purple all the way to blue. what's interesting, the governor's race a lot of republicans have thrown in the towel. a lot have thrown in the to you towel in the lieutenant governor's race. attorney general, republicans can compete, fascinating, local attorney general's race, referendum on national issues. democrats going after this guy

for seeing he was extremist zealot on women's rights. women's rights is the thing you here over and over again. republicans attacking attorney generals race, telling the democrat he would be a tax and spend liberal, you don't know where he stands on social issues. interesting to see what happens. if democrats sweep all three, a huge issue. two other things to take a look at. what role does a libertarian play? if he's around 10% hurts cuccinelli. last factoidf mcauliffe pulls this off, which indications are he would, he will be the fourth governor in a row of virginia to have not been born in the state and come above the mason dixon line. we're a long way from old virginia, my friend, a long, long way. >> i love when you end segments like that. my friend luke russert, thank you for putting up with me and thank you for your reporting. >> take it easy. despite criticism of post sandy embrace with president obama, chris christie has

remained ahead in the new jersey gubernatorial roles. don't let his moderate profile mislead you. chris christie is a classic conservative. we'll discuss that next on "now." if yand you're talking toevere rheuyour rheumatologistike me, about trying or adding a biologic. this is humira, adalimumab. this is humira working to help relieve my pain. this is humira helping me through the twists and turns. this is humira helping to protect my joints from further damage. doctors have been prescribing humira for over ten years. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. for many adults, humira is proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer,

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whispering in my ear today, "i'm a democrat. don't tell anybody, i'm voting for you." right? >> new jersey governor chris christie may have roped in democratic support for his re-election campaign and he may

have been able to beat his opponent in a deep blue state but a democrat chris christie is not. nate coan writes in the new republic. he checks the crucial box of the religious wings of the republican party, pro-life and against gay marriage. he has solid credentials opposing taxes and attacking unions which will eventually compliment conformist domestic policy agenda. christie may sound like a moderate but when it comes to walking the walk, things are trickier. you brought up christie and said he's one of those folks who can work across the aisle, part of a functioning government, which is a big deal these days. but a deeper dive into his actual policies, someone who vetoed the bill to increase minimum wage, doesn't support marriage equality, in terms of infrastructure, affordable housing, clean energy he's not a supporter of those things. i wonder what you think as his

national profile grows. does there come a day greater resistance on the left side of the aisle for what he's done. >> he's not a democrat and progressive. a democrat and progressive wouldn't get through -- >> he's a social conservative. >> he's pro-life and he is against same-sex marriage but as the governor said he's not pushing those issues aggressively. in a lot of ways he reminds me of george bush pre-2000. people forget because george bush left office in a different way he went in that he had this big victory in texas in 2008 where he worked across the aisle with democrats, go a lot of democrats to vote for him. in 2000 he ran at a compassionate conservative. he was self-consciously and explicitly pushing off the republican brand and republican wing of the congressional republican party. he at one point during the 2000 campaign he criticized tom delay, said republicans in congress were too mean-spirited around cuts to education and

health care. chris christie has the same opportunity in some respects. the contrast between what he's doing in new jersey and what cuccinelli is going to do in virginia today is so obvious. one path is extreme conservatism where the republican candidate emphasizes these issues and goes down to spectacular defeat in a purple state and the other is someone who is pro-life. checks the boxes for the republican party on those issues but doesn't emphasize them and is going to win a spectacular victory in a blue state. this is a model has that worked for republicans at the national level. the last republican president was elected with such a model. >> seems like fairly obvious logic, michael steele. you're shaking your head alt bit. i would ask you to what degree does a strong chris christie election fuel the tea party fire? >> it doesn't. there is a perception gap with

chris christie within the party itself as to whether or not he is a, quote, true conservative, which i think is one of the craziest thoughts in the world. there's no degree of conservatism. you are or you aren't. >> severe. >> severely conservative. >> i agree with what howard just said but i do have a little asterisk i want to put on this. i think we need to be careful not to make much more of this election in new jersey as we should as a projection into the future simply because christie is running for re-election against a democrat that nobody supported. so there is no real challenge or pushback on christie's policies as governor of virginia -- of new jersey and how voters really feel. if he's the only thing standing they want to support, okay, fine. in a true kpe race, that's where the rubber meets the road. when you get into a republican primary where republicans play different for chris christie,

that's a different conversation. >> may i just for the record agree wholeheartedly with chairman michael steele on this point. there's one other thing that chris christie has that no other republican running in a statewide or national election can replicate. he's physically separated election from cory booker. he's buddies, fine, has a good relationship with booker but he wasn't willing to run on the same ballot with him. he understood if you had enthusiastic democratic participation in the race maybe his support across the aisle -- >> i think progressives would be doing themselves a does service, if chris christie gets through the primary, if he does he's a very formidable -- >> primary process. >> cory booker, what if they are running against each other. >> you said nobody ran against him.

there's a reason nobody ran against him. his poll numbers were good. cory booker could have run against him for governor. >> who would have won. >> i don't think cory booker would have won. we love cory booker. we love cory booker in new york city. if cory booker thought he could beat chris christie for governor, he would have run against him. >> before we go, really quick, sasha, what is also of note and should notten be marginalized in this competition is the amount of money. as of thursday outside spinneding for candidates in the jersey race topped $35 million, twice since 2009, highest by any state except california. we're just going to see more and more money thrown at the state level races, because as we said before, this is where the action is. >> the money is spent down ballot big legislative districts in new jersey. democrats are targeting voters

called christie-crats. they are trying to split the ticket and legislature serve as a check on them in the next four years. >> it will be an interesting wednesday morning. thank you sasha issenberg, the victory lab, buy it immediately. >> legalizing pot, not your parents ballot initiatives. the progressive shift down ballot just ahead. an important message for americans eligible an important message for for medicare. the annual enrollment period is now open. now is the time to find the coverage that's right for you ...at the right price.

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traditionally state ballot initiatives entice right wing base to the voting booth. unlike 2004 when anti-gay marriage measures in 11 states helped george w. bush win re-election, many of the votes today are distinctly progressive in nature. among the measures on the ballot today, higher in come taxes in colorado to raise money for public education. another colorado tax on newly legalized marijuana. a proposed label on genetically modified food in washington state. in new york authorization of seven casinos ostensibly to increase aid to schools and property taxes. in new jersey a constitutional amendment to raise the minimum wage to $8.25 an hour, a dollar

more than the federal standard of $7.25. governor, we were talking about enthusiasm and getting people to the polls. the raft of progressive measures, does that help with turnout, do you think? >> it does if they get a lot of publicity. if it's a vibrant campaign drives turnout. if it's on the ballot, probably not enough. >> progressive? >> ostensibly raise money in schools. >> see those progressives. always for the children. please. >> wake up. we're talking about gmo, pot legalization. you talk about gay -- anti-marriage equality issues in 2004, 11 states passed them by more than 57%. this year, 2012 ballot initiatives, minnesota -- last year minnesota failed to ban same-sex marriage, maryland

maine, washington legalized, colorado and washington legalized pot. there is a shift happening in this country. >> within 10 years gay marriage has come on the other side. sort of an enthusiasm for younger voters on the progressive side. i look at colorado, a state fairly conservative when i was growing up there, which is now on the cutting edge in terms of gun legislation, in terms of pot legalization. it's sort of where things are going, both because the demographics are changing. >> colorado, the one to me that's the most interesting of all of them, raising the minimum wage people are really for that because it doesn't really affect them. increasing taxes for education. that's a crucial issue. it's the heart and soul of progressive agenda. polling people say they are willing to pay a little more if the money is going to go to schools. >> can i say something about that? this is one of the really misnomers about this kind of

spending, we're going to raise taxes for education. unless that money is in a lockbox, those kids aren't going to see that 25% on top. >> can we talk about colorado, mayor bloomberg teamed with bill gates and teachers union which are usually at odds. it does a number of things, raises taxes to fund education but goes only for education. >> has a lockbox. >> equalizes funding, poor areas are going to do better that historically have done worse and requires reforms around teacher competency and excellence in the classroom. it's totally comprehensive. it's both reformers like mike bloomberg and bill gates and teachers run coming together to get this done. it's very close, hopefully will pass. >> i will also note if we're talking about colorado a state turning blue, deep purple, progressive measures on the ballot, 11 of colorado's 64 counties are expected to pass a

referendum in favor of secession from the state. to a larger point, a shift from blues, red to purple, but the deep red is as entrenched as it has been. if you look at 1976, less than a quarter americans won in a place where there was a landslide. 2004 only half lived in landslide counties. the divisions are deep. >> the sense of alienation among far right, tea party, that is the foregoing narrative going into 2016. you have a group of people so alienated, culture, demographics, country, politics going and embodied in barack obama but longer and deeper, goes all the way back to busing in the '70s, post 1964 world. still powerful to cater to alienated voters. that's why you don't see a lot of change. i agree with michael steele you don't see because chris christie

wins suddenly the republican party changes, because catering to voters older, by and large rural, south, midwest and some in the cities and suburbs and exurbs. they are angry, really angry and they need a party that speaks to them and right now the republicans have to do it. >> if those colorado counties secede they don't get money in the lockbox. what elected officials have been smoking. we submit to you toronto mayor ford. we will have his latest administration. it's breaking-ish news coming up. ♪ [ male announcer ] every day, millions of people

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it's not bad for canned soup, right? pfft! [ laughs ] you nearly had us there. canned soup. [ male announcer ] they just might think it's homemade. try campbell's homestyle soup. in the nation, what's precious to you is precious to us. ♪ love is strange so when coverage really counts, count on nationwide insurance. we put members first. join the nation. ♪ nationwide is on your side ♪ katy perrsure how many? town. can we get tickets, please??? thank you, thank you, thank you! seriously? i get 2x the thankyou points on each ticket. the citi thankyou preferred card. now earn 2x the points on entertainment, with no annual fee. go to citi.com/thankyoucards after months of controversy, toronto mayor rob ford has confirmed that he, indeed, smoked crack.

speaking to reporters moments ago ford said, yes, i have smoked crack cocaine probably a year ago in a drunken stupor. the admission comes six months after reports of video showing ford smoking crack which he vehemently denied. it comes two days after ford denied being a crack addict. >> i have to curb my drinking. >> i think they are calling it crack. they are not calling it alcohol when they are referring to drugs. >> i'm going to reiterate what i said before. i am not a crack addict. >> the question for ford is what comes next. does the mayor resign or vow to stay in office as he has done since the controversy began. speaking to toronto residents the mayor apologized for his weird behavior, though he didn't exactly promise to change it. >> i shouldn't have got hammered down at the danforth. if you're going to have a couple of drinks you stay at home. st. patrick's day, another incident. it got a little out of control.

i can't change the past. to sit here and say, you know, i'm going to lose 100 pounds and i'm going to be a brand-new person in six months or a year, i'm not going to mislead people. i'm going to do my very best to make sure these mistakes don't happen again. >> for the record ford's chief of staff said the mayor should take a leave of absence and get his life together. we'll have a word from mayors from other cities who probably don't smoke crack coming up after the break. uce and cheese, fold it all up and boom! delicious unsloppy joes perfect for a school night. pillsbury grands biscuits. make dinner pop. pillsbury grands biscuits. [ female announcer ] some people like to pretend a flood could never happen to them. and that their homeowners insurance protects them. [ thunder crashes ] it doesn't. stop pretending.

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voters in several big cities will choose a mayor. bill de blasio looks to win handily. in boston voters will choose between two democrats to succeed the mayor. the motor city will look to two democrats to save the city from bankruptcy, a former police chief and turnaround specialist

mike duggan, who if elected would be the first white mayor in 40 years. in minneapolis they will use rank choice voting selecting first, second, and third choices from among 35 mayoral candidates including an occupy wall street activist named captain jack sparrow. but of course. but it is bill de blasio in the new york race that holds implications for the democratic party. with talk of a new progressive kpermt in the nation's largest city. de blasio ran away with the democratic primary by successfully tapping into bloomberg fatigue, early option to its controversial stop and frisk policy, all of which was part of a game changing tv spot now simply called the ad featuring his 16-year-old son dante talking about police tactics. asked to sum in world view one part roosevelt new deal, one part european social democracy

and one part liberation theology. if he should win, there will inevitably be questions, how will de blasio manage a $70 billion budget and 300,000 employees. will he governor as progressive or clinton world operative that has defined his career. howard wilson, this block is for you. you once said -- once, in august -- >> so long ago. >> de blasio would represent a u-turn back to the '70s. there's honestly some new yorkers pretty excited about that. when you look at him and the sort of future mayorship of bill de blasio if it comes to that, do you think he will be more pragmatic or progressive. that statement about world view will be ha heretic.

>> $70 million budge, 300,000 employees, a place where people have come to expect some level of competency in government, crime is very low, at an all-time low. i can give my wonderful -- >> you have the bike new york city.org helmet as proof of competence of our city government. >> i'm glad he's no longer going to rip up the bike lanes. that was an important thing for me as a voter and a citizen. sometimes when you get into the office the rubber meets the road and reality strikes and you recognize you can't do everything you promised to do during the campaign. having said, that i've known bill for a very long time. he's a sincere progressive. he's somebody who believes these things deeply. it wasn't just a transformation during the campaign. i remember when he was running hillary clinton's campaign in 1999 talking about these kinds of issues. he cares about this issues. i think he's going to do what he can to implement his vision.

new york city has a way sometimes of pushing back on mayors when they try to do something like that. >> it's the difference between campaigning and governing, especially for an executive office. as a legislator, we were discussing this earlier. can you stick to your views because you don't have to actually do anything. as a mayor or governor you do. the reality of the situation, of the environment he's going to act in is going to inherently temper bill's views. for example, one of the things i wanted to do because make sure pennsylvania became a state, advanced energy portfolio standard on renewables. to get that done, i have to make some significant compromises because there were coal interests in pennsylvania, big oil and gas interests, et cetera. so you find the economic realities of making government work will to an extent not make you change your views but temper your views a little bit. i think bill is a smart guy, and i think he will adapt. >> i've got to ask you, chairman, we talk a lot about

the republican party being under the swell of the tea party. whether or not they are fully under the spell, they have been very responsive to the tea party in certain parts of the country and i think just the national sort of debate and certainly in the most recent government shutdown. the left has not been nearly as attentive or responsive to the hard core progressive base. you see -- de blasio is interesting insofar as -- i agree with the governor and howard, things are different once you get to office. he's been unabashedly in this campaign in a way that almost nobody other than elizabeth warren has been. i wonder if that's a change on the left. >> i don't know if it's a change. i don't think you can extrapolate it out to progressives in other parts of the northeast or certainly the south or the west. i think in terms of new york being new york, it does send a signal as we hear things from the west and how it impacts us on the east, there could be a

bellwether moment for progress i was within the party which sets up an interesting dynamic for 2016 where you have this, you know, progressiveness either catcng hold and getting some real steam behind it and looking for that progressive candidate to carry their banner or is this just a one off because it's new york and de blasio is able to sell it here. to the point about governing, we saw with bloomberg when he tried something most folks would consider progressives on the side of your soda, there was push back from people. so how the people respond to this progressive agenda also matters. >> you know, one thing, as somebody who lived in new york city under giuliani, one of the things that sets the scene is police. so many felt alienated at

different times under different mayors was the policing issue. one thing de blasio would be to set the tone is walk away from the appeal. >> he has not said he would stop stop and frisk. >> he would significantly modify it so it's not blanket profiling. he's going out to cling to stop and frisk, negated good things he managed to do. de blasio changing that. >> i want to ask you, the mayor has done a lot people are very, very happy with. there's other things he has done people are very, very unhappy with. it seems in these last days of the administration because of the strop and frisk stuff there has been more of a focus on negative. with de blasio, won't say repudiation but income equality, happening to the city in the bloomberg era, what's the feeling in bloomberg hq in terms of the legacy.

>> this mayor has been the best in the city. history will remember that. i don't think it's going to take very long for people to miss him once he's gone. he's been in office for 12 years. this is the toughes media environment. "wall street journal" had his numbers at 47, 49. i'm working hard to get those numbers up to 50. he says to me i'd like to leave with my approval ratings in the 30s. it means we haven't done enough. >> so bloomberg style. >> i think not only will history look back and say he was a great mayor, i think it's going to take people about two or three weeks to miss the guy. >> we've got to leave it there. >> by christmas mayor bloomberg in the 50s, high 60s. >> you can take that to the track. thank you all. you can catch joy filling in for martin bashir on msnbc. that's all for "now." see you tomorrow at noon eastern. andrea mitchell reports with guest host kristen welker coming up next. she's always had a playful side.

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